Hearing Everything, Knowing Nothing
by BunnyMewWitch
Summary: Sakura's hearing has alway told her everything about a person, except Sasuke is a complete mystery. What does this mean? SasuSaku high school fic T
1. Chapter 1 Hearing and Dealing

I don't know how I came up with this it just happened I guess. SasuSaku is the main pairing, there will probably not be any others.

_Italics_-represent emphasized words AND words like '_hearing_' meaning psychic hearing not normal hearing, these words usually aren't emphasized by a character. They're just in italics to show the other meaning 'cause I don't like using the **Bold** or Underlined stuff. -_- too much of that and it's stupid

I just lay on my bed and listened to the loud, obnoxious buzz of my cheap alarm clock. I stare at the white ceiling and think about reaching over to turn it off, but really I like the noise. It drowns everything, and everyone, out for awhile. I love the mornings, no one think loud thoughts or even think at all. They're too tired so I love mornings. But I love my alarm clock more because my _step_-sister is such a morning person, the clock helps. Just next door to my room she is putting on makeup only to wipe it off and start over.

"Sakura, turn your freaking alarm off!" the only reason she is saying 'freaking' is because her father's down stairs.

Without argument, I push the square-ish, oval-ish button. My brief peace is over. I change into my clothes, a lot less flashy than Ino's, and pull a brush through my pink hair.

I walk out of my room the same time as Ino. She gasps with a disgusted look on her face at the sight my shirt. It was blue, so was hers, though hers was much lighter and had some butterfly graphic on it and was low cut.

'_I can't believe her, how could she wear the same thing as me! What a bitch! I know she's the one who stole my pink lip gloss!' _she thought, I just roll my eyes.

Oh poor her, she's such a victim of the worst crime imaginable. And it was her good friend Karin that took her precious lip gloss, I don't even wear makeup. She dashed back into her pink, and larger, room to change into her top with the pink cherries on it that is even lower cut.

I shrugged and made my way to the kitchen where Mr. Yamanaka sat at the kitchen table with his news paper as my mom poured him his coffee.

She married him a couple years ago, she loved him, sure, but also because his money kept us from living in a box. My mom's not a gold digger, despite Ino's unspoken scathing remarks. We moved in and I got an unwanted sister, correction: _step_-sister.

"Good morning, Sakura," and a step-father, and despite what he says I know he wants to replace Dad.

_No one_ can replace Dad.

"Good morning, Mr. Yamanaka."

"Sakura, you don't have to call me Mr. Yamanaka," he smiles.

Though his smile is genuine I can't help but be ticked at what he's thinking.

'_I won't call you daddy,' _and he thinks he has young girls so figured out too, he doesn't even know his _real_ daughter.

"Good morning, Sakura," Mom comes to hug me and whisper in my ear about my medication, "have you taken your medicine yet?"

"No, not yet, I was going to eat first," I turn on the stove and pull out a pan to make myself some eggs.

Yes, I 'take' pills, well Mom thinks I do. Ever since Dad left, I was ten, I told Mom about the voices. She was very worried and took me to any specialist she could afford at the time. They said it was just the trauma of Dad leaving, they said I was making up friends because I was lonely.

Which made Mom blame herself, she didn't _say_ it…but I _heard_ it…in her _head_. I was a bright little girl I figured it out quickly. The medicine, supposedly, helps. But I don't take it, it doesn't do anything but make me drowsy and my body hard to move, I throw it away, two at a time.

I sit in the breakfast nook across from Mr. Yamanaka, and place the two little white pills beside my orange juice. He shifted uncomfortably, The Yamanaka's both think I'm crazy for taking pills about hearing voices, they think I'm disturbed. That's why Mom likes to be discreet when she talks about the medication. She knows I put it _right there_ just to spite him.

Ino comes skipping into the kitchen. Her eye goes straight to the plate I took another bite from.

"I'm starving, what's for breakfast, Daddy?" she hugs her father's neck from behind and kisses his cheek, pushing my mother away slightly and on purpose.

Mom just told herself it was an accident.

"Sorry Dear," Mom tells her, "I don't have time to make anything. I'm opening today." Mom works at a dinner. "Sakura doesn't mind do you, Sweetie?" she begs me with her eyes and, unknowingly, her mind.

I push my plate across the table, I only got a few bites in, "just take mine, I have to get going anyway," I don't feel like pampering the princess this morning, I'll have to this evening anyway.

She always finds some way of getting out of chores.

'_Ew gross, I am not going to eat after The Freak,'_ Ino's nose wrinkles, and she started going through excuses as to not have to eat the food _I_ was eating, even though she was trying to get our parents to make me cook for her just a second ago, spoiled brat.

I don't stick around long enough for anyone to say anything, I pretend to pop the pills and chug my orange juice.

Mr. Yamanaka adverts his eyes, trying not to think judgmental thoughts, while his daughter thinks of nothing but. Mom gives me the look that says: you shouldn't have done that, and thinking the same.

I ignore it all and calmly leave the big Yamanaka house.

We moved in when Mom married him, the wedding was huge and all those horrid remarks, thoughts I mean, from the groom's side about my mom gave me a migraine that lasted days. The only thing that kept me from running out of there was Mr. Yamanaka and what _he_ was thinking.

I concentrated on him, maybe that's why I don't out right tell him off, when he saw my mom walking down the aisle, his brain went totally blank. His eyes were on her, it was amazing that someone could adore another person that much. And not care that she had a 'mentally unstable' daughter, worked in a diner because she gave up college for said daughter, lived in a one room apartment, and was hated by his own family.

He means well but he's not Dad, not _my_ dad. _My_ father was loving, he gave me piggy back rides, and told me stories, and would play with me for hours. Everything was perfect, we were The Three Musketeers, the perfect family.

But it was because Dad was so loving and kind that he left, he joined the peace core **(I don't think that's right ^-^' but whatever you know what I mean)**. He was sent to the Amazon to help the natives, giving them vaccines and what not. We got one picture and a letter telling us about the people there and the friends he made and how he knew he was making a difference.

After that…nothing, someone from the organization showed up at our house and told my mom he'd disappeared. When I started…hearing, Mom blamed herself and everything went downhill.

I should have stopped him from going and I shouldn't have told mom about the voices crap. I should have told her what I thought of her new boyfriend and his stuck up daughter.

I got to class just in time and put my head phones in and crank up my music. I have to do _something_ to cover up all the thoughts of the other annoying seventeen-year-olds. But the teacher, Kakashi-sensei, got to teaching and I had to turn it off. He started too droll on about the French Revolution and everybody drifted off into their heads, and unknowingly took me with them.

Ino, who drove here, was thinking about parts of Shikamaru I would rather not know. Naruto was wondering about parts of Ino that made me gag. And Shikamaru was wondering about Naruto's parts. The teens thought about the usual teen stuff.

I snuck my ear buds in again and ignored Kakashi-sensei, and everyone else. It's not like I need to hear him, I know what he knows about the French Revolution. That's why my grades are so good.

I go through the school day with the same routine each class. Walking down the hall hearing everything they say and think of me. Ino's freaky step-sister, you'd think that after me being here freshman and sophomore years they'd be used to my blank expression and emotionless voice. You'd think Ino would stop telling everyone that I'm crazy and give up and just leave me alone.

At lunch, I sit alone, I go to the corner of the cafeteria, trying to get as far away from people as I can. Which is easy when they think you're going to freak out at any moment and cut them with their own spork. But the cafeteria is loud, I mean thought wise. Everything is such a jumbled mess I can't differentiate people. Big concentrations of people are harder to deal with than when they're spread out. By the end of lunch my head is pounding and no amount of loud music can keep them out. I'm not entirely sure how far the range is, maybe half a mile? More? No idea.

I go straight home of course, it's not like I have close friends to hang out with, or any other after school activity. I would go out for volleyball but I know how that would go.

The Yamanaka house is a bit better than school, even if I can hear the neighbors going about their business. Anko cheating on poor, clueless Iruka with Ibiki. Kurenai trying to think of a way to tell Asuma she's pregnant. The pedophile down the street, he's so far it's more of a whisper, thinking his creepy, pedophile thoughts.

I do my chores…then after a considerable amount of consideration I do Ino's too. Mom already works so hard, she doesn't want to be completely dependent, we are, no matter how much she denies it, on Mr. Yamanaka, I don't want her to have to come home and clean some more. She turned down Mr. Yamanaka's offer for a house cleaner, she says that people should keep their own homes clean.

But this isn't my home. This big house is not _my_ house, it's not the little blue house on the edge of town.

"So how was your day, girls?" Mom asks politely at dinner, trying to fill the empty silence.

Then Ino launches into some story about something, it's just her excuse for trying to go before me. Go ahead, you spoiled bitch, I don't have an update on my life every five minutes just too trick myself into thinking I'm important.

"And you, Sakura?" Mr. Yamanaka offered.

Ino sure didn't like that the attention was drawn from her, especially by her own father who's babied her since the beginning of time a.k.a. Ino's birth, but at least he's a polite Yamanaka.

"Nothing new," I report.

As much as Mom wants me to put in the effort I just can't. I won't. I'm civil, that's as much as I am willing to do. And making them uncomfortable is just something for me. This whole family thing they are trying to pull off isn't working.

"I'm done," I stand up to leave.

"Sakura, why don't you stay and talk with us," Mom smiled and put her hand on his…now she's on his side.

Why won't they get that I don't want another dad.

"No thanks," I say shortly and carry my plate from the formal dining room to the kitchen and put it in the sink.

When I get to my room I can _hear_ everything.

'_What a drama queen,'_ Ino thought…it's so easy for her.

Her mom didn't go missing, her parents got a divorce because they couldn't agree on how to raise her. She doesn't even care, she's totally satisfied having two Christmases and birthdays. The 'hands off' approach to raising a child rarely works. That's why Mr. Yamanaka is trying so hard with me, he's trying to start over, but I don't want too. The daughter he should be trying with is his own.

And now Mom too?

I sit at my desk and do my homework. Then shut off the lights and put in my movie _Much Ado About Nothing_, a Shakespeare play turned movie, and sit in the dark and enjoy it as much as I can. I love movies, it's just a moving picture with no brain waves or anything. I can see people interact without knowing how they really feel.

After I left Ino did too, which made Mom and Mr. Yamanaka feel like they failed. _'Well you shouldn't even try to force us to be sisters, or a family, if you know it will never happen,'_ I thought bitterly.

They went to bed and talked for awhile about everything. Neither of them took sides, both wanted what's best. Too bad the best isn't a child trauma specialist or grief counselor. Psychiatrists don't fix what I have. And at least Mr. Yamanaka doesn't want to send me away like Mom's first few boyfriends.

When they start to get…intimate, like almost every night, I pause my movie and turn my _iPod_ up as loud as possible. There is no way in hell I will ever willing listen to _that_.

Then Kiba, Ino's latest booty call, climbs through her window around two. When _their_ done I can finally resume my movie.

I stay up very late, it's silent at night. Sometimes I get a piece of someone's dream but other than that it's all quietness.

The next day, school was buzzing. New student, what's the big deal? We get new students all the time. There was only one rumor, he's hot. Yet no one knew what he looked like, now that was strange.

My second block teacher, Kurenai-sensei, was throwing up in the bathroom so the class was talking, and I _listened_.

Ino's friend Ami was feeding her friends her latest, fake, sob story. They all pitied and comforted her just like she wanted.

Karin was telling them about what didn't happen last night with Suigetsu, no one believed her.

Tenten was worrying about the pot she tried and how it would affect her sports career.

Ino was making excuses to Shikamaru about why he didn't hear from her last night. He didn't really care he was too busy trying not to look at the boy in the second row to long.

Said boy, Neji, stole a few hundred dollars from his uncle and planned to use it to get steroids from Kankorou from behind the gym.

It's not all bad, Hinata was excited about her birthday coming up, spending the night with her friends, and Rock Lee couldn't wait to go out to eat with his family tonight. And Temari was trying to surprise me.

"Hey Sakura!" I don't flinch like she wanted, Temari always gets here late. Temari is…a friend? Maybe.

She's a senior so I don't really see her often, but we did a project earlier this year, no one else wanted to be my partner. She stuck around, her pity for me made us kind of like friends. And it's easy being around her, she speaks her mind. I don't have to pretend I didn't _hear_ anything I'm not supposed too.

"Hn," I answer.

"Where's Kurenai?" she pulled things out of her bag for class.

'_Flushing her breakfast down the toilet,'_ I think but say, "no idea."

"Have you heard about the new guy?" she said, "I heard he's _really_ good looking." She wiggled her eyebrows at me.

"So I've heard."

She scoffed, "from who?"

I shrug, she's right, "you mean whom," I correct her.

She stuck her tong out at me, and Ino struts over, grinning like she's already gotten me to do her chores. She has of course.

"Sakura," her friends were watching, admiring Ino's courage in coming over to talk to the psycho chick, "I have cheer practice today," she knows I always do her work. She asks now just to show off, "can you do some of my chores?"

"Whatever Ino," I read my book.

"Thanks, I owe you one!" more like a hundred, but who's counting?

She prances back to receive the 'wow's' from all her friends, like she's a freaking super hero. And she eats it up. _"Yeah, there's no way she'd try anything with me,"_ yet later she'll tell them how scary it is to live under the same roof.

"How can you let her do that?" Temari glares at Ino, then me.

I shrug, "Mom-"

"Don't give me that mom crap, Cinderella," Temari rolls her eyes, "that's bullshit. She walks all over you and you let her. You're not supposed to take care of your mom, she takes care of you."

"Whatever, okay?" she wouldn't know, her mom died giving birth to her little brother.

She holds her hands up in a 'fine, fine' expression, and thought about Ino's taking advantage of me and how I let her. By now Kurenai-sensei straightened herself and was making her way here but stopped.

"_What are you doing wandering the halls? Do you have a pass?"_ she asked.

'_I was just coming to your class, Kurenai-sensei.'_ I heard what he said _through_ her head but…no one's there. I saw him _through_ her, he had dark hair and eyes.

She saw him, she spoke to him, but…no one's there. The only thoughts in that section of hallway is hers…oh god Kurenai's going insane. Seeing students that aren't there?

"_Alright then,"_ she didn't believe her delusion, _"come,"_ she commanded.

Oh god she's going to look crazier than me when she walks in talking to a nonexistent person-

"Sorry I'm late class, just sit where ever you want Sasuke," a boy walks in, like a real one.

Something is very wrong here. He had the dark hair and eyes I saw in the teachers head, but…he's real? …I don't _hear_ anything from him. What's going on? I can't get a read, so I concentrate. I hardly note the smile he flashed my way before he sits down at a desk a few rows up.

Temari elbow me in the ribs.

"Uh Sakura what are you doing?" she says with gritted teeth and a nervous, false smile, "you're acting weirder than usual."

"Sh." I tell her and concentrate harder, what's wrong with this guy?

"Alright class," Kurenai clears her throat, embarrassed at being twenty minutes late, "let's get started."

My eyes narrow. This has never happened before. I can't _hear_ his mind, I can _hear_ the ones all around him but not his. He's a blank spot.

Temari stomps on my foot, I snap out of my efforts and notice the multiple people staring at me. Then I pay attention to the thoughts around _me_.

'_What does that freak think she's doing? She is so embarrassing me!'_ Ino might as well have screeched in my ear. Everyone thought I was looking at their precious new student. I already knew the new rumors: Psycho likes Hot Newbie. Whatever, worst has been said about me.

The real problem is why can't I _hear_ him?

I went totally out on a limb with this one…not sure where it's going. I wrote this to get my creativeness back. It's like all my good words are locked away in my brain! So hopefully this will help.

**Ignore all my other stories please! They are defective and are going to be re-written!**


	2. Chapter 2 Contact and Craving

**Sorry for taking so long in getting this out! But it'll probably be awhile before I get a third chapter out. Sorry but I will be getting a job very soon.**

**This story is inspired by a book called **_**Ever**_**, the book is annoying and whiney but hopefully this story isn't that -_- and Sakura can't see auras or feel the emotions (Sakura knows their emotions but doesn't feel them herself) of the people she touches or see the future or can touch a book and know everything it says. She can only hear thoughts…for now…;) And Sasuke is VERY O.C. like A LOT! Like Sakura's the emo one and he's not, but you never know he's still a mystery *wink wink*. And Sakura's mom's name is Sakuya and Ino's dad is Inoichi.**

"**Normal talking with the mouth and hearing with the ears"**

'_**Thoughts, Sakura's thoughts, and Sasuke when Sakura hears him through someone else'**_

"_**Talking from the person Sakura reads the mind of when Sakura can't hear with her actual ears…confused?"**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own **_**Naruto**_**, or the book **_**Ever**_**, or**_** italics**_** which will be used a lot ^-^**

"What the hell was that?" Temari whispered as quietly as possible, in my ear.

I don't even know, "hn."

She sighs, exasperated, "you sure can be weird, weirder than usual I mean. So do you like him already?" Temari smirked at me, "you haven't made a very good impression. But he did smile like right at you," she winked.

I wasn't paying her any real attention.

'_Who does she think she…'_

'_Going after Sasuke…'_

'_Staring at him…'_

'_Weirdo freak…'_

'_She'll stab him…'_

The thoughts and conversations swirled around him, about him, but not him. This can't be right.

I spend the rest of class trying to get something from him. I locked my eyes on the back of his head and didn't budge them, no matter how many times Temari pinched me or thought about how I was embarrassing her too.

By the end of class I was thinking. I have heard people happy, sad, angry, dying, insane, you name it I've heard it. What sets this boy apart? How are his brain waves any different from the others? I leave right away, but it would be impossible to ignore this new student. Walking to lunch I knew exactly where he was. I could _see_ him. I can _see_ what people see but not the details, just what they focus on. A lot of teens were focusing on _him_. In a small town, where everyone knows each other, a new hottie stood out.

When I had my lunch and was sitting in the corner, the rumors were spread. Everything was _loud_ in the cafeteria, he's not even in here.

It became too much for me, my eyes water. I can't breathe. I leave my tray and opt for fast-walking down the halls. I get out the school doors and across the parking lot. I find myself at the empty football field and sit under the bleachers. It was just far enough away to where I could bare it. I take my practiced deep breathes and try to keep my hands from shaking. It was just too much back there. I close my eyes and lean my head back against the underside of the metal until my gasps stop. Thank god I didn't hurl.

"All better now?"

I scream, yes scream, which echoed under the huge bleachers. And my heart rate just increases again.

"Whoa, sorry, didn't mean to scare you," but no one ever scares me, it's impossible for me to be snuck up on.

He's standing there, Uchiha Sasuke, the source of my pain. He stood right in front of me, how could I have missed that? Even if I can't _hear_ him I still should have been able to hear him with my ears. My heart was beating so hard now.

When I realize I was gawking up at him like a brain dead fish I hopped up and brush off my pants hurriedly.

"Are you okay?" I don't answer, I don't want to answer, "…what's wrong? Thoughts get a little…_mixed up_ sometimes?" I freeze and look up at him…he was smirking.

I wipe the shocked look off my face and turn on my heel, but just end up smacking my head in to the bleachers directly behind me. I'm such an idiot! I hiss at the physical pain and my own stupidity.

"You alright?-" I shrug his hand off my shoulder rudely, and fought my shivers, and fast-walk, okay ran, away.

'_Like hell I want to talk to you,'_ but through that whole, one-sided, conversation I had no idea what he was thinking, what he thought of me.

At least with others I _know_. Was he really being friendly? Or was he just being polite? Or even messing with me as part of some cruel joke like what boys like to do? And why would he talk to me in the first place? Everyone's already told him I'm crazy and to stay away from the psycho chick. And what he said 'thoughts get mixed up' what did he mean by that?

After the bell rang and the lunch room was empty I grabbed my messenger bag and arrived to class late. The talking fizzles and dies by the end of school, the topic of Sasuke was worn out. But not the topic of my supposed 'infatuation' in him. Ino was going crazy about him already and was positively seething at the thought of me involved with him. Where does she even get these ideas?

The next day at lunch, without a doubt, Sasuke sat with Ino's whole group. They act like he's the most interesting party trick ever, and I had no idea whether he liked the attention or not. I decided to just keep my nose in my work during classes with him or in my lunch tray.

'_Who's that?' _I _heard_ in several minds, it was Sasuke and he had nodded his head in _my_ direction.

"_Oh,"_ Ino got all prickly when the conversation turned to me, but was delighted that she had the chance to make me look even worse. _"That's my step-sister, Sakura"_ she adjusted her tone in that manipulative way she does, "_she's a little mentally disturbed," _Ino lowered her voice to a whisper yet everyone at her table could hear. Hm, I wonder why, _"she hears voices, and sometimes her medication doesn't work that well,"_ she was doing a good job keeping her cruel smile small._ "I'd watch out for her if I were you Sasuke. Everybody saw her staring at you in this really creepy way.'_

Everybody also laughed, I just rolled my eyes and take a quick glance their way, Sasuke was looking at me. _He_ wasn't laughing. I calmly return to my meal and pretend I hadn't caught him peeping over here and he hadn't caught me.

I push my tray away, I'm not hungry any more.

'_Doesn't she have any friends?'_ he asked, whys he asking questions about me?

I glue my gaze to the table to keep myself from looking over there again. Why can't he mind his own damn business? Wait, why do I care? People who can't contain their curiosity, but for the sake of politeness or fear of asking me directly, ask Ino questions about me all the time.

Karin snorted, _"because she's a freak,"_ they laughed at me more. Whatever I really don't care, yet he didn't look amused at all.

'_Hn,'_ is all he says.

Dinnertime was even more tense than usual, and that's saying something. Mr. Yamanaka is working late at his law firm so it was just 'us girls' as Mom put it. And Ino was still miffed that Sasuke had paid an ounce of curiosity for me at lunch.

'_Let it go already,'_ I thought and silently sighed.

"So," Mom couldn't handle the quiet, "how was your day?" she looked to Ino and I.

"Fine," is all I say as Ino says nothing, just thinking horrible things about my mother for absolutely no reason.

Mom attempts boy talk, "any guys you admire?" the question was really directed at me but Ino doesn't mind ignoring that obvious fact.

"Actually, there's this _really_ cute boy that just came to our school!"

"I thought you were going out with someone Ino-chan. Shikamaru?" my mom looked at her confused and innocent.

Ino didn't like to be interrupted and reminded of her boyfriend, and all the other guys besides boyfriend number something, when she was thinking about Sasuke 'the god'. I stop myself from rolling my eyes.

"So? I'm allowed to look, aren't I?" if she keeps giving Mom attitude I'm going to tell everyone about her and Kiba…and Suigetsu…and Neji…etc. Ah never mind, no one would believe me anyway.

But of course Mom doesn't like looking at the cracks, "oh, well, okay," she gives up, her feelings hurt.

Which makes me feel kind of bad. Even if it's all Ino's fault.

"Delicious dinner, Mom," is all I can get out, what else can I say? It's impossible for me to share with my own mother.

She smiles at me, "thank you, Sweetie," I actually try smiling too, which is hard when I don't use my facial muscles very often, and she brushes hair behind my ear.

Jealousy burst from Ino, she's the one not trying to get closer to _her_ mom. Mr. Yamanaka was pulling up in the driveway. So I excused myself to retreat to my room.

I never really look forward to weekends, even if it gives me a break from being surrounded by crowds. Ino goes to her mother's Friday nights, but her mom doesn't want much to do with her, so she's back by Saturday. To fill the emptiness and lack of attention Ino's friends all spend the night, which means I'm kept up by their constant chatter and thoughts. Squashing the pillow to my ears doesn't keep the talk of Sasuke out of my head. I did get a little joy out of their fight over who gets Sasuke, which made half the girls leave in the middle of the night. And when they fall asleep I catch bits of their dreams until I drift off myself.

_I was in a very dark house, through a normal living room to a regular hallway in an ordinary home. But what creeped me out was the fact that there was nothing here. I searched a kitchen, a bathroom and a bedroom, but the house was totally empty. No furniture or anything. Something was weird here, it was itching me in the back of my mind. At the end of the hallway there was one last room, the door was cracked open and light seeped out._

_I halted when someone spoke, "yes, just as I thought, there is one here…it'll be awhile…I'd call it a special case," I peeked through the ajar door. _

_The light came from the room itself, seeping from the floor and walls. Except the shadowy center where whoever was speaking was using a phone, the figure turned around and looked right at me. He was a tall, young male, but otherwise unidentifiable._

"_I'll explain more later," he closed his phone and put it away, he held out a hand, "you're more than welcome to come in," …he smirked._

'_What a dream,'_ I pondered it over my breakfast cereal.

"Sakura, is something wrong?" Mom asks worriedly while pouring Mr. Yamanaka a glass of milk and making him drink it.

"Huh?" though I her thoughts told me of her slight worry I was stilling dwelling on the dream of last night.

I never have dreams of my own, only bits and pieces of everyone else's day. I know they are never my own but this time was different. Something about it told me it was not second hand from the closest brain.

"Didn't sound like Sakura had a good night," Ino walked in with her remaining quests. That innocent look and voice made me hide a scowl, "she was talking in her sleep a lot, Mom," her friends held back their giggles.

'_She's not your mother,'_ was my first thought but then it shocked me to _hear_ I spoke in my sleep.

Not spoke, _shouted_. I had shouted 'no' a few times so loud it woke Ino and her group. They even peeked in my room and laughed at my distressed tosses and turns. I've never done that before, and she wasn't lying. I would know if she were lying. But I kept my face stoic, even when they quietly snickered as Mom pulled me out of my chair at the table and into the living room. Mr. Yamanaka just kept pretending, which was great compared to Ino and her gang following us to eavesdrop.

"Are you really alright Honey?" she felt my forehead and cheeks, "you're not hearing any voices? Or having any nightmares?"

"I'm fine Mom," I tell her, Ino and her friends were disappointed at the lack of crazy talk they had expected.

They expected me to start raving about how the voices told me to kill everyone, I stop myself from rolling my eyes. So they went back to breakfast.

"You'll tell me if you hear anything right? You're taking your medicine?" she smoothed my hair back nervously.

"Yes I am," I pat her hand, trying to be comforting, "everything's going fine Mom."

"Okay," she smiled and nodded, yet was still full of doubt and could number quite a few other issues in her head.

She returned silently to Mr. Yamanaka to make sure he ate everything on his plate.

I stood there for awhile, thinking, _'my dream wasn't particularly scary, I don't see why I would cry out in my sleep.'_

"Have a bad night Sakura?" Ino said with false concern and an ugly smile.

"No, how was yours?" my neutral face and comment pissed her off.

She knew I was talking about her 'friends' bailing on her. If she can't take it then she shouldn't dish it. And her friends that did stick around did some stupid collective glare, like I was the bad guy. I let myself roll my eyes this time and ignored them, I just retreat to my room.

My room is downright dreary, empty soda cans falling out of the trash bin by my messy desk full of homework and various dinner plates from when I'm able to have my food alone in my room. When mom works late Mr. Yamanaka doesn't put up a fight when I take my meal away. I sigh at the clothes scattered around and the unpainted white walls. The only thing that would tip off that whoever lived here had any personality was the bed spread. Oh wait, never mind, Mom picked that out. It's not like I'm a total slob, my precious movies, CDs, and books in my bookshelf by my TV are in perfect order. I make sure the door is locked and collapse on my bed where I curl up in a tight ball and pretend I don't exist…until the loud Justin Beiber music drifts annoyingly through the wall. Then it echoes in the minds of Ino and all her stupid friends.

'_Why's my bed against the wall that connects with Ino's room?'_ I think, _'oh yeah so I don't hear the pedophile down the street,'_ I picked the lesser of two evils I guess. But doubt that decision when she cranks her stereo louder, just to spite me. I sigh, it's impossible to pretend I don't exist now.

Monday morning and my biology partner picks today to skip. And she did it on purpose. Damn you Temari. When Sasuke switched into our class he made an odd number and, so far, had done his projects alone. I know she did it on purpose, she's hiding behind the school telling her brother, Kankorou, all about it.

'_He's not even listening,'_ I think bitterly and a little childishly.

Too bad I haven't had the chance to tell her how I don't want anything to do with him, but that would bring up questions about why.

"Where's your partner Haruno?" my teacher asks like it was my fault.

"She's sick," I cover for her ass.

"Okay then," he looks over his seating chart, pretending to look for a partner for me.

Really he was deciding on which two students wouldn't complain to him, and their parents, if he put the crazy girl in their group. His eyes, and thoughts, landed on the new, and partner-less, student.

"I can work by myself-"

"I don't have a partner," Sasuke suddenly appeared, "I don't mind working with Haruno," he flashed me his smirk.

Relief filled our teacher as hope drained from me, "thank you, Sasuke."

Sasuke just nodded and turned to me, it looked like he was about to say something but I ignored him and returned to my desk. I sat with my back mostly to him and started tapping my pencil on the table top, he sat down next to me and we waited as a girl passed out the supplies for the class activity. She took her sweet time at our table, making sure to get a good look at my partner before leaving with a scowl in my direction. She has no idea how gladly I'd trade with her.

"Do you want to go first?" I look at his hand, pushing the school's cheap microscope toward me.

I keep myself from giving him any suspicious glances and quickly peek through the thing. I decide quickly and circle an answer on my worksheet. Not like I need to even see whatever is in the glass slides, the teacher had all the answers in his head. So instead I listened as the girl that passed out our microscope shared her discovery with all the other students. None of them even tried to hide the fact that they were staring. I'm so going to freak that chick out somehow.

'_Sending her a glare in the hall or something would scare her good,'_ I was so in my, and even one else's, head I almost missed what Sasuke said to me.

"You think it's C?"

I shift my head in his direction slightly.

"…you don't have to talk to me," I tell him bluntly, might as well just have it out in the open that I know, well that's my best guess seeing as I hear nothing from him, he wants nothing to do with me just like everybody else.

"Why? We're partners aren't we?"

He sounded almost…friendly and…jokingly. I shift back into my previous position of not looking at him.

"The teacher only does that because there are not enough microscopes to go around," I look through the microscope a second then push it to him, I continue tapping my pencil in a random beat.

"…well not talking all class sounds pretty boring."

'_I just want this class to end.'_

"You're the one who volunteered to be my partner, I didn't say it would be fun.'

"Yeah but the teacher would have put us together anyway, wouldn't he?" he pushes the microscope back to me and I glance back a sec and he's looking at me expectantly.

"Like I would know," I say quickly, the way he asked that unnerved me.

Again I got the terrible feeling that he _knows_ something. I forcefully brush it off and reach for the microscope hurriedly, like if I get the work done soon the class will end sooner. Then I can get away from him. But Sasuke had yet to remove his hand, I would have known that if I hadn't refused to look at him, and mine, _accidently_, touches his for a second. Like _right_ on top of his, cupping it firmly seeing as I was expecting cold, hard metal, not a _living_ _hand_. I snatch my hand back quickly and hold it to my chest. When was the last time I touched my hand to someone else's? My mom has touched my wrist but _I've_ never touched someone on my own. His hand was warm and a hell of a lot softer than metal.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," I take the microscope from the top to keep another incident like that from happening.

"You look pale."

"I'm always pale and you're not any tanner."

He laughed. It was very small, maybe just a little 'ha', like I had just made a 'breaking the ice' joke. It made me look at him and he doing that half ass smile that was kind of like a smirk at me. I caught myself before I smiled back. I put my face in the microscope for awhile, acting like I couldn't decide what the answer to the question on my worksheet.

"So do you like it here?"

"Like it where?"

Whoa, I've never _not_ known what someone meant, it was very weird. This is the strangest conversation I've ever had…and the longest. I tried for a second to focus on his mind again. Nothing, absolutely nothing. Sweet silence from his mind.

"This school."

"No, not at all."

"Why?"

"Why do you think?" I harshly answer, it's kind of obvious why.

"How long have you been here?" he remained unfazed by my rude tone.

I finally pulled away from the microscope, suddenly very suspicious. What's with the questions?

"Why?"

"Just curious," he shrugs it off.

It was quiet for a long moment. And for a second I actually wanted him to keep talking. It was very nice, refreshing even, to hear someone talk without them think the exact opposite at the same time. No Sakura, don't get carried away and talk to him willingly. And then I felt the need to reach out and touch him again. Oh god what is wrong with me.

He was about to say something again but I stood up.

"Sensei, may I go to the bathroom?" I interrupt him explaining something to a few students.

"Go ahead Haruno."

I walk out swiftly, hopefully it's not too obvious. I got to the bathroom and splashed a little water on my face, trying to get back to my senses. What's wrong with me? Craving human contact? That's so not like me. I'm the loner, I don't need anybody. That's what I've been couching myself, and it's worked so far. I'm a pro at keeping my distance, with my mom, Temari, and the world, being in their head is more than enough for me. But some tall, dark eyed boy shows up and I find myself _wanting_ to talk to him. And he sounded so sincere, like he really was interested in what I thought. But is he really sincere? Is he really interested? I just don't know.

**Ugh I'm not very happy with the chapter but I wanted to get it out and it's probably not that good. I haven't read over it a million times so it probably needs a lot of improvement but oh well, it's so late I need to get to bed. Hope you at least enjoyed it, nighty night.**


	3. Chapter 3 Questions and Deals?

**Last chapter was less than satisfactory. I didn't get a chance to really improve it but oh well I hope this chapter is a bit better. and the whole "lab partners" scene was totally lame and cliché I know but I needed some reason to get them to actually communicate but I enjoyed the "omg! Human hand!" part XD and everyone knows that clichés are band aids for crappy plot work! :D And just so you know I had so much trouble starting this chapter! . I don't know why! **

**And this story isn't my first priority so it'll move pretty fast and without much thought. I'm working on an original story with my best friend :)**

"**Normal talking with the mouth and hearing with the ears"**

'_**Thoughts, Sakura's thoughts, and Sasuke when Sakura hears him through someone else'**_

"_**Talking from the person Sakura reads the mind of when Sakura can't hear with her actual ears…confused?"**_

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Because I'm unlucky like that -_-**

Eventually I had to go back to class. Back to Sasuke's quizzical, yet still welcoming, face. I still don't know why he is so friendly or why his is the only mind I can't ever hear…and why he's smiling at me again. But I did know this sudden attraction to him -simply a human need for interaction _not_ anything else- will just cause trouble and disrupt the delicate balance I created for my life.

Temari tsked at me, "soooo, what was partnering with Mr. Hot-Stuff like? Did he smile at you again?" she showed all her teeth in her insidious smile, leaning in front of my lunch tray.

'_Quite a lot actually,'_ I thought bitterly, and I didn't keep the scowl off my face. "No."

"Don't bullshit me Sakura, the look he gave you when he first set eyes on you was like a movie!"she plopped down on the blue seat by me. What she remembers and what I saw when I first laid eyes on Sasuke was completely different. "Except you had to ruin it with your weirdness."

"You're going to get in trouble for skipping if they find you in the lunch room."

"You'll thank me later when you go out with him and put your stuck up bitch-sister in her place."

"_No_ Temari. I hate that guy!" I shout without thinking.

She froze. Temari had never heard me raise my voice. And neither had I, my voice even cracked from disuse. And for the first time in a _long_ time, Temari questioned my sanity. Temari was an instant outsider when she came here from the desert, outspoken and erratic. She was the closest thing I have to a friend and it hurt a little to _hear_ her think about me like everyone else.

"…can we please just drop it?"

"Fine," she said casually and left the table to skip the rest of the day.

I sigh, wishing I hadn't snapped at her …but take it back when she gets in her car and plans to _bug_ me about it some more later before driving out of range. But I still have the plan solidly in my head: stay away from Sasuke.

…

"…the expression on your face is pretty obvious," Sasuke tells me apprehensively from _right next to me_.

_Of course_ I get stuck on the same bus as Sasuke. _Of course_ we get the one teacher that arranges bus seats in alphabetical order by _first _names. And _of course_ Ino is sitting just a couple seats behind us.

…_seriously_! Who alphabetizes by _first _names?

I just ignore him, like the plan, and look out the window.

He sighs, "okay, I get it. You don't like me." He throws his hands up and sounds more amused than anything else. "Can I ask why?"

"…why do you _have_ to know?" I sounded more annoyed than ever but I still did not look at him, "what is with the questions?"

I almost smile triumphantly, maybe I stunned him silent.

"…you know most people find me to be a likeable person." Damn it.

I can't hold in my frustrated sigh, "so? Why does everyone _have_ to like you?" my voice got louder than I thought.

"Haruno. Uchiha. Quiet." The teacher up front calls.

Oh, so he'll call us by our last name, but alphabetize us by our first name.

At least I do get cheered up a little when Ino's jealousy flares. The picture of Sasuke's head tilting toward me when he spoke running over and over through her mind…

…

If Sasuke heard the annoyed release of air from my nose he must have chose to ignore it.

How did I end up trekking through damp, cold hedges with Sasuke? Circumstance, terrible terrible circumstance. I'm just …an unlucky person.

Because of our 'inappropriate' behavior on the bus the teacher made us stick with him but he had other things to do - and I creeped him out - so the teacher stuck us together. Dynamite teaching skills Mr. Haddley. But it was weird how he decided so suddenly that he had to go, and now he was standing at the other end of the building wondering what he had intended on doing.

Sasuke won't even let me go off alone. And he thinks -though I don't know what he thinks for sure- that he's trying to find the path. _I_ know where the path is. But can I tell him? Nope. He won't even listen anyway. Not to mention he's misusing the 'buddy-system'! Every little trip or slip and he's suddenly got a hand on me and I freak and spaz so bad I end up _actually_ falling …the opposite way. I'm pretty sure he's just a cruel person that likes to watch me squirm.

"Okay! Can you wait for just a second?" I'm getting a little fed up with the going in circles. It's like we're dodging the pathway instead of searching for it. I plop down on a pile of wet leaves and blow a strand of hair out of my eyes.

Sasuke waits patiently.

"Why don't _I_ try leading?" I decide to intervene anyway and get up to dust my damp butt.

Sasuke waves his arm like 'be-my-guest'. I take _one_ step forward and make _one_ move to push a branch out of my way and he suddenly has his hand wrapped around my wrist. Fingers brushing the inside of my palm.

"Wait," I hardly catch what he says due to the fact that I could feel the warmth of the inside of his arm on mine through our clothes. He freaks me out further by wrapping his other arm around me, I can feel his breath and everything. But I was completely frozen. Frozen by this new phenomenon called body-heat. He takes two fingers and slowly pulls something off the limb in front of me. A tiny, green grass-snake. He moves away and I not only can't breathe but wish to roll around on the cold ground until the warmth I felt outside and in diminishes to nothingness. Where has my sanity gone?

"That was a close one," I turn around and he's smiling at the little snake.

"That was unnecessary," I didn't mean to blurt that but my brain can't really churn out anything witty or seemingly comprehensible right now.

And then he gives me that smirk, like he knows how uncomfortable he's just made me. Why do I have to know that smirk so well?

"I didn't suspect you to be a snake person," he leans against a rock, observing his little friend slide around his palm.

"I'm used to them," I mutter without realizing, thinking about my dreams that alternate between snakes and people and glowing houses.

"What do you mean?"

As much training as I've had in controlling my emotions and containing them I couldn't keep the disbelieving look off my face. "_Why_?"

I said it so suddenly Sasuke looked bewildered.

"Why. Why. Why. …why do you have to ask questions? Why don't you just leave me alone?" through my little outburst (by little I mean big by my standards, little by everyone else's) Sasuke had calmly put down the snake and looked me dead in the eyes. I turn to try and get away from this person that makes me act not like myself, like the kind of crazy person I'm not. Of course he has to grab my arm.

I shake him off in one violent move but he still says, "I only want to help you."

"You can start by _not touching me_!" I shout at him, "…and why? Why do you want to help me? What can you do to help me?" I at least _try_ and stop the tears pricking the backs of my eyes. "Please," I actually voluntarily look into his bottomless eyes, "leave me to my solitude-"

"I can," the way he said it made me want to believe him. But the false hope would kill me, I just know it.

I put my hands in my jacket pockets, "why would you want to?" all this emotion had me exhausted.

"If I said it was my job would you believe me?" he smiled at me almost sheepishly.

I turn and start walking, trying to regain my control, he followed me. "…for someone who asks a lot of questions you sure don't listen well."

"We'll just take this one step at a time."

"Who said anything about steps?"

Who _is_ this guy really?

He stands in front of me suddenly and holds out his hand, looking at me full on again. "Sasuke Uchiha."

I don't know what made me take his hand. The hopeful look on his face, and the confidence like he knew I'd do it? Or knew I _could_ do it. Maybe it was just silliness and his silliness rubbing off on me. Or maybe it just gave me hope.

"Sakura Haruno."

It was awkward for a minute as I robotically followed his hand. Then we let go and my hand was on fire.

"This way to the path," he turned suddenly and started walking straight as an arrow in the right direction.

"Wait …you knew the way the whole time?"

"Yeah I've been here lodes of times."

…Who are you? And what do you want with me. But I decide to close my mouth and tuck my hands away.

…and my right hand was still crackling like a forest fire by the time we got on the bus.

**Its so hard writing discretely in class, I'm so paranoid someone's looking over my shoulder reading Sakura's weird thoughts (or what if a teacher is like "is that a note. Give it" lol but when inspiration hits you gotta take advantage O-O and this chapter feels a little miss-matchy. I wrote the three different parts a few months apart. But I like how one little scene of Sasuke rescuing a grass snake from Sakura inspired -and escalated to- the plot movement I needed! Its slow but I feel that its good and true to my writing style even though I try to write the dialogue a little more proper than what feels natural to me because Sakura's like that. :)**


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